This invention generally relates to fashion dolls for children, and particularly to a three-dimensional fashion doll with removable and interchangeable clothing connectable around the waist of the fashion doll and providing the appearance and feel of real clothing.
Dolls with clothing either in two dimensional or three dimensional form are well known. However, clothing designed to be easily fitted onto a specially designed doll, the clothing made entirely of fabric material to provide a flexible, soft and realistic character is not yet available.
A previous invention of applicants is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,414,774 which is directed to a fashion and hairstyle doll play set which discloses rigid or semi-rigid molded plastic articles of clothing, hair and hat.
A partially three-dimentional doll is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,944,368 to O'Brian which teaches clothing fabricated of molded one-piece plastic material which does not completely surround the lower body of the doll and does not provide a realistic look and feel.
Another one-piece rigid plastic clothing arrangement for a play set disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,227,340 to Goldfarb also appears quite unrealistic with respect to both look and feel of the removable rigid clothing.
A kit including a doll, fabric clothing and an installation tool has been invented by Merino as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,168,592 which teaches retention of the fabric clothing by forcing by special tool a rear margin of the clothing into molded apertures formed into the back of the doll.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,021,020 invented by Hambley, a flat toy doll and folio system is there taught, again lacking realism.
A take apart doll with detachable garments is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. Re. 25,678 to Risler which discloses a rigid plastic dismantleable doll and rigid plastic clothing.
Another rigid plastic clothed doll is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,939,604 to Nishizawa which is quite dissimilar to the present invention as is the toy figure with accessories disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,185,412 to Rahmstorf, disclosing a toy figure with removable accessories, all of which are fabric of rigid or semi-rigid molded plastic.
The present invention overcomes the above prior art limitations of non-realism by providing a fashion doll with removable clothing, the clothing being fabricated essentially of realistic fabric material and held in place primarily by a resilient plastic waistband which snapingly or biasingly engages around the waist of the doll to retain both lower body and upper body articles of clothing in place. Alternately, the upper body clothing may be fabricated in a similar fashion having a resilient plastic jacket beneath the upper body clothing if desired.